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How much does the semen of a male howler monkey cost?

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The researchers used both new and published data on hyoid and testes size of 144 male howler monkeys from specimens of nine of the 10 species, collected in nine museums in ... “You can't invest in everything at once,” Dunn says, because both howling and sperm production have high energetic costs. read more

For male monkeys living with other males, though, the competition comes after copulation. A greater volume of sperm may give these monkeys a fertilization advantage in a female monkey that has mated with multiple males. It's probably impossible for howler monkeys to evolve both a large hyoid and large testes, Knapp said. read more

"The bigger a male howler's vocal organ, and the deeper and more imposing roar they possess, the smaller their testes and the less sperm they produce," the study authors found. So female howler monkeys beware: Some suitors have a Napoleon complex of sorts. Their magnificent audibles write checks that their bodies can't cash. read more

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